History
The L.A. Women's Tennis Championships presented by Herbalife has hosted some of the most memorable and historical matches in the 39-year history of the popular southern California Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stop. Beginning in 2004, the annual Tier II event has been hosted by The Home Depot Center, on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California after a 21-year run at the Manhattan Beach Country Club. The 56-player draw features the top female tennis players in the world. In just the last two decades, eight players who have held the WTA's No. 1 ranking have been tournament champions of the L.A. Women's Tennis Championships, including Kim Clijsters (2005 & 2003), Lindsay Davenport (2004, 2001, 1998 & 1996), Serena Williams (2000 & 1999) and five time champion (a tournament record) Martina Navratilova. Last year, Ana Ivanovic became the fourth women to earn the crown at the 8,000-seat tennis stadium at The Home Depot Center. The L.A. Women's Tennis Championships presented by Herbalife is part of the prestigious Olympus US Open Series, which links the summer hard-court tournaments to the famed US Open. This year's L.A. Women's Tennis Championships marks the fifth year players competing in the Olympus US Open Series tournaments will be vying for bonus prize money at the US Open. Players competing in the "summer season" of tennis at the participating Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments will receive Olympus US Open Series points, which will ultimately earn the series winner the opportunity to double her US Open prize purse. Since purchasing the event prior to the 2004 tournament, Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment presenters AEG has aggressively marketed women's tennis' traditional tour stop with popular promotions, including bobblehead doll, giant tennis ball and racket giveaways; exclusive hospitality parties; and the annual fireworks extravaganza on Saturday night, all leading to record-setting attendance figures each year. The L.A. Women's Tennis Championships presented by Herbalife is truly the "Ultimate Tennis Celebration."
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Past Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Champions
Past Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Doubles Champions
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